Byline: Tanner Haworth
For the first time in the Timmy Chang era, the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors can say they’ve won their first game of the season after a rainy “W” over the Delaware State Hornets, 35-14.
The rusty ‘Bows managed to start the game with a 14-0 lead thanks to a return from the shifty Tylan Hines on a punt return touchdown, the first since 2012. The Hornets swarmed the ‘Bows, equalizing the score on the first possession of the second half.
But much like Delaware State’s travel plan, Hawaii’s offense eventually showed up in the end, scoring 21 unanswered points in the second half.
Brayden Schager finished tonight with 203 yards and two touchdowns but only on a 50 percent throwing percentage. Schager made up for his incompletions with his legs, rushing for 38 yards and two more touchdowns.
“Good teams will find ways to win, even if we got to be scrappy,” Schager said. The quarterback reinforced his confidence in his receivers and his offensive line, but admitted the first half performance as “embarrassing for a run and shoot offense.”
“A win’s a win… nice to be 1-0.”
Hines made the move to receiver this offseason, but it was his performance as a returner that kept Hawaii in the game early. Hines returned a bouncing punt for a 44-yard touchdown and finished with 199 all-purpose yards.
As expected, Hines stayed humble and credited his teammates for his touchdown return and was excited to get back on the field in a new position especially after not playing much in 2023.
“I always come into the game with the mindset of doing my job, and letting God do the rest,” Hines said.
“Tylan’s a weapon, we’re gonna continue to use him especially if he’s gonna help us win games,” Chang said.
Despite the two scoring possessions bookmarking halftime, the debut of Dennis Thurman’s defense came out with rave reviews. The Hornets were held to 260 yards, were sacked five times and were tackled for a loss 11 times.
Sophomore Jamih Otis received plenty of hype from the Hawaii coaching staff, and he backed it up, leading the game with 11 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack.
Hidden under the impressive stats was an impressive game from transfer punter Lucas Borrow, as he punted the ball eight times for an average of 44 yards, three of those punts put inside the twenty yard line.
Coming up next week is a big test for the ‘Bows as they host the UCLA Bruins on national television. UCLA will be beginning their season with their first-year head coach DeShaun Foster.